Hi all,
We just wrapped up a fun ski touring week at the new Lequéreux Outpost at Valkyr Adventures near Napusp March 19-25. This new cozy cabin is situated at treeline (2200m) near the headwaters of Burton, Dago & Koch creeks. The cabin fits 8 people comfortably and the surrounding terrain is varied and exciting. The weather started off with a short-lived ridge of high pressure with overnight lows in the -12C range. By mid week, we experienced small back to back low pressure systems with milder temperatures. On Friday & Saturday afternoon, there was some intense Spring convective snow showers. The area received up to 50cm of new snow throughout the week. The winds were in the moderated range from the southerly quadrant in the alpine during most storms, below this winds were negligible. Despite the fluctuating freezing levels, snow levels stayed below 1700m all week.
The snowpack at the cabin was 265cm when we left today. The 50cm of new snow had consolidated into a 30-40cm storm slab and overlying the recently formed March 20th crust. This interface was producing moderate sudden shears in test profiles, it was also starting to become reactive to skier traffic as of yesterday. Upon arrival, we got to see the impressive aftermath of the large avalanche cycle which affected the southern half of the province the week prior. The cooler temperatures associated with the March 19 & 20 high pressure seem to stabilize the snowpack. We were threading lightly during those days however, it became clear that the hazard was improving from then onward. For the remainder of the week our main concerns revolved around recent wind slabs in the lee of moderate southerly alpine winds and the building storm slab at all elevations. We were also concerned with the growing cornices and the deep persistent slab in shallow/rocky snowpack areas.
We noted a few new wind slab avalanches to sz 2.5 out of very steep north facing alpine terrain later in the week, all seem to have been triggered by cornice falls. Also, we were able to control a few small storm slabs from sz 1 to 1.5 at treeline and below treeline while skiing steeper terrain. This will likely become more problematic if the current snow forecast materializes, something to watch for in the near future.
All in all, a very good ski touring week in a fantastic new area. Looking forward to going back!
Cheers,
David Lussier
acmg mountain guide
&
Jeremy Birse
acmg apprentice rock guide
caa level 2
